A ferocious early morning fire that tore through a Brooklyn brownstone and killed three family members was sparked by a lithium-ion battery, fire marshals determined.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said the fire claimed “three generations of one family who are an integral part” of the Crown Heights community.
The fire tore through the brownstone on Albany Avenue, fully engulfing all floors of the residence before firefighters could get to the scene around 5 a.m. Sunday. Flames could be seen shooting out of several windows.
Fire investigators recovered scooters from the ground floor that they believe belonged to one of the people killed in the inferno.
Albertha West, 81, Michael West, 58, and Jamiyl West, 33, were discovered on the second and third floors of the brownstone, according to officials.
Once firefighters had the situation under control and all patients had been transported to a hospital or treated at the scene, the total number of people injured stood at 12. Most of those injured suffered from smoke inhalation.
The “very difficult, dangerous fire operation,” necessitated additional firefighting crews and resources. FDNY Chief of Operations John Esposito said a 3-alarm response was triggered.
“It’s a very dangerous operation for our firefighters,” the chief said. “While we are trying to extinguish the fire, they’re doing searches on the floor with the heavy fire and above that.”
Kavanagh said Sunday’s fire brings the number of people killed in the city by lithium-ion battery fires to 17.
